In Which Naruto Is Summoned
by sessha-chan
Summary: The Marauders experiment with a summoning spell. They summon a fox. A Demon Fox. Naruto is not pleased.


Standard disclaimers apply. It's sad, but true.

**In Which Naruto is Summoned**

Sessha-chan

In a castle that was a school by a lake there were mischief makers at play. The three of them – and their tag-along – were cooking up fun in an abandoned classroom in a little-used wing of the castle-school. What brand of fun, you wonder?

"_Arcessare Deamon Vulpes!"_ James Potter called, waving his wand over the elaborate circle of ruins that Remus had run across in his reading... and showed to Sirius... who then got the brilliant idea to try it out with James. Peter was just watching, awed as his friends and classmates worked magic at a level he could never do. The four boys watched as the chalked lines started glowing. A wind picked up, centered in the circle.

Suddenly everything stopped. The glow vanished, the wind lashed out one last time before racing to freedom. With a mixture of caution and eagerness the boys drops the arms that they had thrown up to shield their faces and looked at the circle.

Face up, unconscious, lay a boy, perhaps their own age. His hair was yellow-gold, his cheeks painted with three stripes on each side. His clothes were... ravaged, his skin torn, cut and bleeding.

They jumped back when he coughed. Blood stained his lips. Slowly, painfully, the boy peeled open his eyes. He grimaced and levered himself onto his elbows. Dazed, yet hyper-aware, he scanned his surroundings. Finding himself on unfamiliar ground the boy painstakingly got to his feet, staring blankly at the four wizards. When he had gained his feet the boy coughed again, spat out a mouthful of blood, and spoke.

"_Anta-tachi wa dare?"_ he ground out. The wizards shared a confused look. _"Dare!"_

"Well, mates," Sirius said, "can you understand him?"

Remus stepped forward, wand out. The boy went on guard, his hands finding two heavy-looking knives. The sky blue eyes narrowed, focusing on the one who dared approach. Remus smiled reassuringly before speaking.

"_Vertere,"_ he said firmly. Light shot from his wand, lancing through the air towards the boy. In a blink the boy jerked back, but not far enough. The light hit him on his shoulder and encompassed his body in a light glow.

"_Ahh! Nani _you do to me!" the boy yelled, quickly checking for any additional injuries.

"It worked!" Sirius exclaimed.

"So it seems," Remus nodded, frowning.

The boy turned his attention back to them, his eyes wide. "You're making sense! Who are you? What did you do to me? Where am I? What village are you from?"

Remus held up his hands, his wand tucked away. "My name is Remus Lupin," he said calmly. "I apologize, but it seems that one of my friend's experiments has gone somewhat awry."

"Experiment?" the boy's gaze became even more closed and wary. 'What sort of experiment?"

"I was trying to summon a fox demon," James confessed. "Somehow I got you instead. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," the boy ground out. "But why would you want a fox demon?"

James shrugged. "Sounded like it would be fun."

"But why'd we get you instead?" Sirius asked.

The boy back himself into a wall and bared his teeth dangerously. "Why do you think? Gees, and Sasuke called _me_ an idiot!"

"You're a fox?" Peter exclaimed.

"Point one for the..." the boy sniffed the air, "rat?" He eyed the four wizards oddly. "You're all human, but you smell like animals. Two canines – one wild, one domesticated – a rat and a deer?"

"You can _smell_ that?" James asked, voicing all of their wonder. The boy lowered his guard, winced, and wrapped an arm around his ribs. His breathing sounded clearer – not as wet – but it was still laboured.

"Yeah, I can. Now, who are you and where am I?"

"This is Hogwarts," Remus explained, "a school for witches and wizards. As I said before, I am Remus Lupin."

"The wild dog," the boy nodded slowly, sagging into the wall for support.

Remus hesitated. "Yes. I am," he acknowledged. He turned to Sirius who spoke next.

"I'm Sirius Black," he said.

"Domesticated dog," the boy said faintly, nodding.

"My name's James Potter."

"Deer. You'd fit in with the Nara clan."

"The who?" James asked, curious.

The boy shook his head. "Never mind. And you are?" he turned his blue gaze on the last wizard.

"P-peter Pettigrew," Peter stammered.

"The rat." The boy nodded and drew a deep, obviously painful, breath. "Name's Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto. Jounin shinobi of Konoha. Now, if it's alright with you, I really need to sleep. I was on my way home from a mission when you guys zapped me here."

This presented the four wizards with a small dilemma. They exchanged glances. "I'll get my invisibility cloak," James offered. "We can keep him in our dorm for now."

"Wonderful," Naruto breathed. "I just need some sleep, then I'll be fine."

James checked the corridor before leaving the classroom, presumably heading to the dorms to fetch his invisibility cloak. Naruto slid to the floor, his arm still wrapped around his ribs, his breathing still laboured. He closed his eyes and focused himself inwards.

* * *

Naruto lay on a makeshift futon made from volunteered bedding. He already felt worlds better than he had when he had first awoken in this strange, new land. That last mission had left him with fractured ribs that had jabbed uncomfortably into his lungs, a cracked radius, and a wide variety of lacerations. All had been healed overnight, thanks to his more-than-human abilities. The fox had left him with some interesting traits when the seal finally blurred the line between the youkai and the jinchuuriki to the point where they were no longer separate. Naruto remained largely – in his mind – the same. He was quicker to anger and much more powerful with some odd split-second reactions, but he retained his unusually sunny disposition most of the time.

Most of the time.

Before opening his eyes to the morning Naruto took stock of his injuries. Everything seemed to be healed, as he had expected. He took a slow, careful, deep breath while training his ears on the ambient sounds. He was alone. Knowing this, Naruto opened his eyes, allowing himself time to slowly get his bearings.

It was cloudy outside. He could smell the damp of a short burst of rainfall that was already over but threatening more. The room he was in contained four beds in a style Naruto was unfamiliar with, with large posts at each corner and heavy drapery pulled back. There was little else in the stone room that suggested that the four boys who had somehow summoned him – what was he! There was no contract for foxes! How did they even manage it to begin with, much less pull it off!? - had spent most of the night talking around him. And he did mean 'around him' since as he was sleeping on the floor, between the last of the beds and the recessed dormer window, his sleep wasn't deep enough for him to miss the buzz of voices until after the boys had gone to sleep themselves. By that time Naruto had gotten a good feel for them, their voiceprints, their scents and their personalities. It wasn't something that he had been able to do very well before Kyuubi became a most literal part of him, but the old fox had some tricks.

Naruto got to his feel and looked down at himself. He grimaced at the state of his clothing. He decided to keep a low profile until he could find one of the boys and get some replacement clothing. So, not giving his decision another thought, Naruto transformed into a light gold fox with nine tails.

Jumping up onto the padded window seat he took a quick survey of the grounds that he could see. Then he jumped back down to the floor and padded out of the dorm room. He needn't worry about the closed door, it opened easily enough for the kitsune lord-reborn, closing itself behind him. Naruto wasn't certain that he would ever quite get used to that but he was glad it only happened when he was in fox-guise and when he wanted it to. He dreaded the explanations he would have to give it it just spontaneously happened whenever he walked by a door.

He took the stairs at a cautious lope. This was, after all, not his territory. Caution was always a must when one was out of one's home territory. Before he stepped off the last stair Naruto tested the air with his nose. No one was about.

Wondering where everyone was – since he _knew_ that there was a goodly population hanging around _somewhere_ – Naruto cautiously jumped down from the last step and into the common room. Everything was covered in a human-smell, Naruto was quick to notice and ignore. There was a few touches of cat and frog – no, he corrected himself, toad – as well as some other, less prominent presences. He noted and ignored everything, jumping onto a plush, upholstered chair. From the top of the chair's back he looked over the room, zeroing in on the exit. He lept to the floor once more and bounded out of the common room.

The exit from the dorm opened at his will, startling the large lady swathed in pink who was painted on the surface of the canvas. Naruto was startled too, for all he could smell was normal to any other oil painting he had come across. And yet there was the lady, staring right at him. He filed this as Very Odd and took off down the corridor with a flick of his tails.

Following his nose, carefully sorting though the myriad of human scents, Naruto tracked the scents of the boys – his boys, as opposed to all the other boys in the... school. It took him a while. Some of the scents were rather overpowering. Thankfully the boy with the wild dog scent – Remus, Naruto recalled vaguely – stood out like a beacon amongst the rest, it being almost as inhuman as Naruto's own scent. He found that to be Very Curious, but Naruto would address that later, if he thought of it.

The wild-dog-human-boy scent ended at a wooden door, along with the scents of many other children and an adult. Naruto didn't just magic the door open. He pressed an ear to the wood and listened. It was a classroom. That made sense, he thought, if this is a school there should be classes.

Judging his entrance carefully, waiting until the teacher's voice was muffled by turning away, Naruto opened the door only enough to slip through before having it close silently behind him. He looked at the feet of fifteen or twenty students and slunk silently towards Remus' feet.

Finding the right pair of shoes was simple. Weaving through kicking feet, shuffling feet, and other obstacles wasn't quite as simple. He had almost been kicked twice and had his tails stepped on. When he finally reach Remus' feet he wound around them to get the boy's attention before placing his front paws on the boy's shins. Remus, quite startled, looked under his desk and into the large, blue eyes of the unfamiliar animal. Naruto treated him to a vulpine grin before jumping into Remus' lap. Remus gaped at his audacity and Naruto settled himself comfortably, curling up on Remus' lap, ducking his head down so that his white-gold ears barely peeked over the desk.

"Where did you come from?" Remus whispered down to him. Naruto flicked an ear. "_What_ are you?" Remus asked when he noticed the plethora of tails. Naruto tilted his head to eye the boy.

"Moony," James hissed from his desk beside Remus, "where'd that come from?"

Remus shrugged helplessly. Naruto turned his eyes to James before settling down again, his ears perked up, listening to the lecture that he had skillfully not interrupted. He did not understand the subject that was being lectured on so while his kitsune side took notes his human side took a nap.

He was startled out of his doze when Remus started scratching behind his ears. After the moment of adrenaline Naruto allowed himself to enjoy the wonderful scratching sensation. He pressed his head into the searching fingers, lifting and turning so that Remus found himself scratching the underside of Naruto's jaw.

Remus had made a friend for life. Naruto decided that this was one lap that needed to have more naps taken on.

Finally, after a good long session of scratching and petting Naruto found himself picked up and deposited on the top of a desk while Remus shoved books into a bag. Naruto blinked, a little put out at the abrupt shift in his position. Remus – and James, who shared this class – eyed the obviously-not-normal fox curiously.

"Where'd you come from, li'l fella?" James asked, bending down to peer closer. Naruto, if he had been in his human guise, would have arched an eyebrow at the boy's question. As it was he shook his head and barked out a short cough-like yelp. He dove for Remus' bag and and clamped his jaws gently but firmly around a quill. Using a paw to drag out a scrap of paper, tearing it when it wouldn't come nicely, he awkwardly put pen to paper and wrote his name. It was slow and messy but he did it. Finished, Naruto dropped the quill and proudly sat down. Remus picked up the paper, and he and James bent over it.

"Squiggle-loop-squiggle?" James wondered. Naruto sighed, dropping his head in shame. It seemed they couldn't read his language. Shame, that. Come on boys, Naruto thought, how many foxes do you know with nine tails? Scratch that, how many foxes do you know with anything more than one tail?

"Could you be Naruto?" Remus asked slowly, staring into Naruto's blue-blue eyes. Naruto nodded sharply. The boys looked at each other, then back down at Naruto.

"So you're really a fox?" James asked. Naruto nodded again. His tails twitched.

"Mister Lupin, Mister Potter," the professor called, sounding disapproving, "I believe you have another class to get to. And would you _kindly_ return that animal to the Gryffindor dorms."

"Yes, professor," the boys said. Remus scooped Naruto up and they fled the classroom.

* * *

Naruto stayed with Remus throughout the rest of his classes, alternately curled up on his lap or tucked away out of sight in his book bag. Sirius had laughed at the sight Naruto had made when riding in the book bag, his head sticking out as he curiously watched everything that went on around him. Naruto had bared his teeth at the boy-dog and then studiously ignored him. He continued to shun Sirius until dinner, when the boy offered him some roast beef. Accepting the beef graciously – as graciously as Naruto did anything – Naruto ate it with as little I'm-a-wild-animal-without-hands-or-opposable-thumbs-so-I-can't-use-eating-utensils mess as possible. It was hard, and Naruto was sure he didn't accomplish it. But the beef was good.

Naruto, who had been sitting on the bench between James and Sirius, stood on his hind legs, lightly placed his front paws on the edge of the table for balance, and peered around at the buffet of foods he had never smelled before. Sirius and James, as one, pushed his head down, forcing Naruto back to the bench. Naruto growled quietly at them and tried again. They were waiting for him and pushed him down again. Naruto was not pleased.

Remus passed James a plate filled with various cuts of meats and James discreetly set it in front of Naruto. Naruto was pleased.

After dinner Naruto rode back to the Gryffindor dorms tucked inside Sirius' robes. He didn't like it, but the humans insisted. Naruto growled and Naruto grumbled, but Naruto allowed himself to be carried like a... a... a _house cat_. And, curse it all, it was _stuffy_ stuffed under those robes. They couldn't get to the dorms fast enough for Naruto.

Naruto fell to the floor, dramatically gasping for air as he skittered away from the boys. He took refuge under a bed and tried to calm his frayed nerves. His fur stood on end, his tails bristling. Peter peeked under the bed and Naruto snapped his teeth at the boy sending him shooting away. The reaction did a lot to calm Naruto down, as the sadistic side of him found it very amusing.

Crawling out from under the bed Naruto transformed back into his human guise. The boys goggled at him while he stretched.

"Are you sure your not some sort of Animagus?" James asked.

Naruto frowned at him. "No, I'm a ninja. What's an Animagus?"

"A wizard or witch that can transform into an animal," Remus explained.

"Are you an Animagus?" Naruto asked. Three out of four nodded. Remus just shrugged vaguely and looked away. "Huh." Naruto nodded slowly, "that explains why you smell like animals. No, I'm not an Animagus."

"Then how could you transform into a fox?" Peter asked.

Naruto rolled his eyes and pointed to himself. "Hello, fox demon? Did you forget already? You don't think the worlds greatest tricksters could get very far without being able to transform, now do you? We're Masters," Naruto said with pride and a cocky half-smile.

"Tricksters, are you?" James asked, an interested light in his eyes. He wasn't the only one. Sirius grinned. Peter looked worried – but Peter always looked worried. Remus just sighed and shook his head. Naruto's smile grew positively wicked.

"You mean to say that you summoned a fox demon without knowing a thing about them?" he asked, amused. "Are you guys insane?"

"Possibly," Remus muttered.

Naruto shook his head. "That was a really stupid move. If you'd have caught us eighteen years ago you'd've had a rampaging, bloodthirsty monster on your hands. Most likely we would have killed everything in sight, leveled the castle, and then moved on to kill some more. You're lucky you got me now. I've stabilized into something that's almost safe to be around." He grinned at them, showing more pointy teeth than a human is supposed to have. Peter squeaked and scuttled backwards, pale. The other three, made of sterner stuff, just looked intimidated. Naruto paid them no mind. He had decided that he needed new clothes so he went to the nearest trunk and tried to open it. It was locked. Naruto frowned and pulled out a set of lock picks and got to work. Unlike doors, luggage did not just miraculously open for him. James squawked and jumped forward, grabbing Naruto's shoulder and pulling him back.

"Oi! That's my trunk you're trying to break into!" he complained.

"So?" Naruto asked, raised an eyebrow. "You summoned me here against my will. I need some decent clothes, orange, preferably. Feel like donating to the You-Owe-Naruto-So-You're-Going-To-Help-Out-Whether-You-Like-It-Or-Not Fund?" James wavered. Naruto flipped open the trunk and pulled out a black student's robe. He held it up and stared at it in disgust. "This is the only kind of clothing you guys have, isn't it? Please tell me you have something less... girly."

"Girly?"

"Yeah, girly. This looks like the kind of dress that Hinata would wear to paint her room, if she didn't have someone else do it for her since she's a Hyuuga and their richer'n sin. It's all... smock-like and dress-ish," Naruto made a face. He tossed the robe back into James' trunk and muttered something rude. He kicked the side of the trunk and the lid fell closed loudly. "Gees, you guys couldn't've waited ten minutes? No, make that thirty. I could've _showered_ and changed _outta_ these rags, but no, you had to snatch me just as I walked through my door after that mess of a mission. I need a bath." Naruto turned back on the boys, his gaze focused. "Point me in the direction of the bathhouse," he directed. They shared confused glances.

"There's no bathhouse, mate," Sirius said. "But we can show you were the bathing rooms are."

"Whatever you call them," Naruto waved a hand dismissively, "I stink something terrible and if I don't get a bath soon I'm going to blow something up." He looked positively demonic, his eyes darkening to a dark lilac, the lines on his cheeks widening as he loosened up on his control over his bestial side to make his point. Remus stepped back quickly, looking much like a dog retreating with its tail tucked between its legs. Peter plastered himself against the far wall and tried to become invisible through will alone. James and Sirius exchanged glances.

"Right," James started.

"This way," Sirius finished, pointing.

* * *

Naruto had no intentions to stay very long at this 'Hogwarts' school-castle. He'd healed himself up, he'd had a thorough scrubbing of a bath, still hadn't found any decent clothing but was making do by keeping to his fox form. It wasn't perfect, but Naruto was getting by.

By the end of the week he was having dark urges... mostly urges that involved him dismembering and eating one or all of his kidnappers.

He was not a happy fox.

* * *

Naruto was sitting on one of the chairs in the Gryffindor common room preening. He had chosen this particular chair because it was situated perfectly to catch a pool of warm sunlight. At this time of day the students were – for the most part – in classes. A handful had spare periods that they spent studying or playing games. When they had first discovered the fox-Naruto's presence they had all wondered about him, where he came from and who's pet he was. When no one claimed him and he stuck around anyways the students became used to seeing him. A few even ventured to attempt to coax him closer. Naruto accepted only a few of the invitations.

One of his favorites had James fuming at him. Her name was Lily. He liked her. She petted him and scratched behind his ears and she was named after a flower, just like Sakura.

Speak of the devil... Naruto turned his attention to the stairs that led up to the girl's dorms and watched Lily come down. He lept to the floor and, with a graceful minimum of motion, wound himself around her legs, barking happily. Lily crouched down and gave him a quick petting before hurrying out of the common room, probably for a class, Naruto reasoned.

Wanderlust getting the better of him, Naruto followed Lily out of the common rooms, but not to class. He padded down the corridors, winding his way down to the Entrance Hall and out the heavy main doors. Without wasting a moment Naruto broke into a exultant run, his nine tails streaming behind him like golden banners. He allowed his human side to take a comfortable position in the passenger's seat of his mind and he set out to chase butterflies, small birds, dig after little crawly things that burrowed into the ground.

He had a blast.

He played on the lake – not in, _on_ – running over the glassy water as if it was as solid as rock. Well, rock that left little ripples behind wherever his paws touched. A handful of students, outside for a class, noticed him. Naruto saw them point at him while talking to each other. He trotted closer, feeling a little curious himself. A handful of feet from the shoreline he paused and barked at the students. That sent another surge of chatter and brought a few more children. Delighted, Naruto trotted closer and barked again, playfully.

* * *

Naruto could feel that something would happen today, it was the wind that told him, that gossip. It had whispered its secret in his ear when he had gone outside the castle for a brisk morning romp and the news had been on his mind all day. He had stolen his breakfast and lunch, as was becoming his usual habit here. The house elves, while confused, didn't seem overly worried by the mysteriously vanishing food. Naruto thought it was an amusing lark.

"Hello there," a middle-aged voice interrupted Naruto's reverie. Naruto spun around and blinked up at the professor who had – figuratively speaking – caught him with his pants down.

He cocked his head to the side. The man crouched down and smiled.

"What sort of creature are you, little one?" he asked, not expecting an answer.

Naruto gave the man a vulpine grin and stretched sinuously, turning slowly around in a full circle. Vainer than a cat, Sakura had teased when she had watched him do something similar back home.

"I've heard of you from the students," the man continued. "Some of the tales would sound outlandish if they weren't corroborated by so many other sources."

Naruto tilted his head to the side, wondering which stories the man had heard.

The man didn't say. He held his hand out instead. Naruto looked from the proffered hand to the face of the man. He sat on his haunches and gave the distinct impression that he had a raised eyebrow and an amused expression on his face. It was a complicated look, coming from a fox. The man retracted his hand and frowned.

Students swarmed out of their classrooms and Naruto turned on his tail and sprinted down the corridor, leaving the man behind.

* * *

By that evening Naruto was feeling down, and he looked it. He'd curled up in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room, his head resting on his front paws and he was sighing a lot. It was attracting a lot of attention, but Naruto didn't care. He wanted to go home. He still didn't know where he was and not daring to relax enough to even sleep in his natural form was sapping his energy slowly, but it was enough to keep him too weak to attempt a teleportation home.

He stared into the flickering flames and said a short mental prayer. Like any Konoha shinobi he followed the Will of Fire, and a flame, or any size, was a gentle reminder of home. He sighed.

A surge of chakra caught his attention before anyone else. He jumped to his feet just as a small, contained sandstorm erupted in the center of the common room. Barking happily Naruto was the only one in the room who wasn't shocked speechless at the redhead that appeared in the center of the dying-down storm. The sand funneled back into the large gourd that was strapped to his back and, when everything had calmed – sans the students and Naruto – Gaara surveyed the room impassively. His khol-lined green eyes homed in on Naruto and the Kazekage snorted.

"So this is where you have been, Naruto," he said. "You have everyone in quite the pother back home. There are some who are scrabbling to have you labeled a missing-nin, although your Hokage is keeping them in line until I bring back an explanation, if not you as well. How _did _you get so far from your home in the first place?"

Naruto, sitting, changed into his human guise – and gave most of the students a collective heart attack while he was at it – and grinned up at his friend. "Lovely to see you too, Gaara. It's a short story, how I got here. I was summoned."

Gaara narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Summoned?"

"That's right. Some of the kids here were experimenting with a summoning spell and specified a fox demon," Naruto shrugged. He got to his feet and brushed off his tattered pants. "Please tell me you can take me back as well. I don't have the chakra right now to make the jump by myself."

"Who _are_ you two?" Lily asked, stepping forward and looking between Naruto and Gaara. "What are you? You can't apparate inside Hogwarts grounds, so how did you get here?"

Both Naruto and Gaara looked at the Prefect. Gaara looked at Naruto who shrugged. "I have no idea what 'apparate' means, so don't ask me," Naruto said to his friend. He turned to Lily. "This is Gaara, a friend of mine from home. My name is Naruto. Yes, I'm the fox that's been hanging around here for the past month. I'm not an animagus, so don't ask. I've been trying to figure out a way home and Gaara has come to give me a lift," he said to Lily and all the other students before turning back to Gaara. Gaara couldn't understand a word that Lily had said and was intrigued that Naruto – who continued to speak in a language that Gaara could understand – could make himself understood to the strange girl.

He'd ask later.

"If you're not an Animagus then what are you?" Lily asked, flustered.

"Fox demon," Naruto said shortly before turning back to Gaara. "So, can you take me back too? Or am I stuck here?"

"You're a what?" Lily backed away – along with several other students.

"Not a problem. We'll have to wait about an hour before I'll have enough chakra to take us both though," Gaara said, expertly ignoring everyone around himself and Naruto. His true green eyes bore into Naruto's blue. Naruto grimaced.

"I'm not surprised. A little disappointed, but I've been trying to get home since I got summoned here. It's a _long_ way away," Naruto sighed and frowned.

"Where are you from?" Lily asked. Naruto turned and stared blankly at her. He had forgotten that she'd be able to understand him. "Konoha. He's not," he said, nodding to Gaara, "but he's from an allied village, which is why he was sent to find me. An hour?" he asked, turning back to Gaara. Gaara nodded.

"Is that going to be a problem?"

Naruto grimaced. "Depends. Oh hey, what time is it back home?"

"Midmorning, when I left from your Hokage's tower," Gaara answered. "Why?"

"No reason, just curious. I got knocked out cold when they summoned me here. I wasn't sure how long I'd been out, so my sense of time-differences has been a little skewed. That, and I didn't know how far away I was taken," Naruto explained. "This at least gives me an idea. Thanks."

Gaara nodded solemly. Naruto grew thoughtful. "Hey, Gaara, how depleted did the trip make you? Just a rough estimate."

"I could probably get myself home," Gaara said, "If I was to bring you along we would get perhaps three fifths before Shukaku would be drained to an uncomfortable point. Why? Do you have an idea?"

"Yeah, it's just a thought. If I release my transformations, all of them, I should have enough chakra – added to yours – to make that last bit possible. What do you say? Do you think your demon would work with me?" Naruto asked.

"It could work," Gaara nodded slowly. "Shukaku is reluctant, but he knows that your my only decent sparring partner. If you're gone he has less chances to come out to play."

Naruto grinned. "Wonderful. Tell the old sand master I love him too."

Gaara hesitated. "He says that he hold little love for you, you just serve a purpose."

"Good be loved," Naruto laughed. "So he still wants to drink my blood from a goblet fashioned from my recently emptied skull?"

Gaara snorted, but nodded, an amused smile threatening to drag his lips upwards.

"I'd like to see him try, but let's do that another day. Preferably a day when you have time to spend in the hospital. Me too. That fight would put us both outta commission for at least a couple of days."

"At least, if you don't hold back on me," Gaara acknowledged, that smile starting to show.

"Hold back? Me?" Naruto affected a look of surprised offence, "How could you suggest that I'd demean you so?"

Gaara gave him a look that suggested that Naruto had better cut to the chase. Naruto held up his hands and backed down.

"Right, right. No holding back when I whup your butt. Now about getting us home. Shall we?" he smiled at his friend. Gaara nodded.

Naruto stretched slowly, reaching above his head. When he dropped his arms he also released the transformation of his old human self. His hair lengthened a few inches and his human ears were replaced by a pair of golden triangles tipped with snow white. Nine tails swirled lazily behind him. He grinned at Gaara, baring a set of sharp teeth.

"This is _so_ much more comfortable," he said, scratching behind an ear. "It's like I finally shed a winter coat, three months into a Suna summer."

Gaara winced. "Glad you're comfortable, now."

"Me too. Let's do this!"

Naruto stood back-to-back with Gaara and, as one, they ran through a rapid series of handseals. The Gryffindor students had to shield themselves from the sudden flurry of sand and tongues of flame that whirled around the pair.

When it died down all that was left was a clinking pile of cooling glass.

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter heard about this later. They weren't upset to hear that Naruto was finally gone.

* * *

Naruto threw his arms around Tsunade's neck, surprising the older woman. "Oh, Baa-chan, it's so good to see you again!" he exclaimed.

Tsunade shot Gaara a confused glance. The Kazekage just shrugged. Tsunade patted Naruto on the back. "It's good to have you back, Naruto. Where were you? And why are you not disguised?"

"Had to drop it to have enough chakra to get home. Oh, Baa-chan, it was terrible! I was summoned – _snatched right out of my house!_ – to some school for magic! I'll tell you all about it later. Right now I really want a change of new clothes and to stop by Ichiraku's. Then I need some sleep. Gaara will too, I bet. It was a _long_ way away, Baa-chan," Naruto said rapidly, contriving to look pathetic. Tsunade nodded and gave her friend a hug.

"Good to have you home, Naruto," she said softly. "Go, get changed, eat your ramen and get some sleep. I'll want to see you back here tomorrow morning for a full report."

"Gotcha!" Naruto grinned and waved as he vanished in a brief tornado of flamelets. He had some ramen to catch up on!


End file.
